Daily Freeman Life Editor Ivan Lajara talks about journalism, living in the Hudson Valley, language, the Web, cats and even politics. But he shouldn't.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Area activists, politicians and journalists set to act on civic issues

A small group of area activists, politicians and journalists (and yours truly, for some reason) will gather in Kingston on July 14 with the goal of creating a vibrant community through "A Forum for Engagement," an event which aims to focus on turning vision into action.

I'll be representing THE EVIL MAINSTREAM MEDIA OF DOOM AND DESPAIR AND DECADENCE and will try, with the rest of the group, to find a way for you to easily participate with matters that, uh, matter to you. In short, my role will be, with your help, to figure out ways for us at the Freeman to collaborate and improve our coverage of issues that are important to you. I'll also be adding some needed DOOM AND DESPAIR AND DECADENCE, because that's how I roll.

The forum takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. on July 14 at Stella May Gallery Theatre, 5 Sterling Street, Kingston.

Scott Tillitt, who organized the forum, explains:

Engaging with the audience, the group will use an organized creative thinking process to explore the issues that matter most and, more importantly, act on them. Following a discussion moderated by Brian Mahoney, editor of Chronogram, the group will break to organize the discussion into major themes. Then they’ll reconvene with the audience to focus on the most important issues, break them down further into actionable projects, and form teams to work on them.

Audience members are encouraged to engage with the group in the discussion and the action-focused process. But even if you go to just listen, your presence is participation enough, the organizers stress.

To bring more folks into the process, organizers will stream the event live online and monitor chat and Twitter during the discussion. Audience members and those who can't make it can submit comments and questions before the event and follow the action live on Twitter using the hashtag #civickingstonny.

The group is schedule to include: Kevin Cahill, NY State Assemblyman and person I like to make fun of; Michael D’Arcy, Kingston Neighborhood Watch; Elizabeth Hare, ReadyCollective; Tom Hoffay, Kingston Alderman and person I like to make fun of; Brian Mahoney, Chronogram; Rebecca Martin, Kingston Land Trust; Tillitt of BEAHIVE and me, of THE EVIL MAINSTREAM MEDIA OF DOOM AND DESPAIR AND DECADENCE.

The event is produced by BEAHIVE, sponsored by Chronogram and Freeman, and hosted by Stella May Gallery Theater.